Demon Slayer: Starting with the Kingdom

Upon realizing this, Akaza felt a surge of emotion welling up inside him, an emotion so overwhelming it almost consumed him entirely…

That's right, he didn't feel any jealousy towards Mitsuha, only a sense of powerlessness.

This is normal. In most cases, when the gap between two parties is so large that there seems to be no end in sight, it is difficult for people to feel jealous anymore; they will only choose to give up.

You're amazing, I'm impressed.

From the day he became Upper Moon Three, Akaza no longer resisted Mitsuha's discipline.

He would do whatever she said.

If we don't kill innocent people indiscriminately, then we won't kill indiscriminately. If we don't bully the weak, then we won't bully the weak. If you want me to study, then I'll study hard...

This behavior is completely meaningless.

Even if he trains for several more decades, what difference will it make?

The talent gap between them is simply insurmountable. This wretched woman could practice for a few hours and then hang him up and beat him again.

Decades of hard work are no match for a few hours of someone else's effort; it's all meaningless. Just give up and take it easy.

What difference does it make how you live your life, you ghost?

Anyway, I've always been controlled by this jerk, so it's all the same. Just accept it, just get used to it.

Akaza began to slack off from then on.

Nowadays, while he may not be an expert in the Four Books and Five Classics or knowledgeable about ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, he can at least recite the relatively simple Three Character Classic and the Analects of Confucius fluently.

At the same time, it is no longer as malevolent as when it first became a demon.

They won't randomly see someone who interests them and insist on fighting them to the death, nor will they rush up and kick a naughty child who blocks their way on the street.

He even shows respect for the elderly and cares for the young on many occasions; if he encounters an elderly woman in need of help on the street, he will occasionally lend a hand...

And Mitsuha finally stopped staring at him so intently all the time, just like she did at the beginning.

Most of the time, she would let him wander around outside, only calling him back every few months to observe him for a few days and see if he had "gone astray".

That is exactly the case right now.

Several months later, Akaza was brought back by Mitsuha and made to work for her under the pretext of routine observation, specifically to collect money.

"Take care, Mrs. Miyano. Remember this: your husband will definitely meet that vixen tonight. If you want to do anything, you'd better seize the opportunity!"

Smiling, Mitsuha saw the beautiful woman, heartbroken by a man, off. Then, she turned to Akaza, who was lying in the corner, lost in thought, clutching an iron box filled with copper coins, and said helplessly:

"Komaji, I've told you many times, don't always have a sour face when dealing with our big clients, smile, understand?"

Why can't you ever learn to treat others with courtesy?

Akaza merely pursed his lips at Mitsuha's lecture, then turned over and faced away from her.

That's ridiculous. Why should he treat someone who can't even withstand one of his punches with courtesy?

"Really..."

Seeing his expression, Mitsuha sighed helplessly once again.

"I don't remember Komaji looking like this when you were human. How did you become like this after becoming a demon..."

"So when exactly are you going to return my memories of my human self?"

Seeing that Mitsuha had brought up the topic, Akaza immediately sat up and asked with great concern.

It would be a lie to say that Akaza is completely indifferent to his experiences as a human.

After all, the other Upper Moon demons had some memories of their human past, but he alone had no memories at all.

This unusual situation always gave Akaza a feeling of "I am being excluded".

Out of curiosity about her past, Akaza also asked Mitsuha about it.

After all, this stinky woman was the first person he saw after opening his eyes, and for some reason they became very familiar with each other, and she kept bothering him all day long.

Without a doubt, she and he had interacted when they were human, and they must have been very close!

Maybe... this stinky woman is actually his mother?!

No, no, no, although this woman always tries to control him, she feels completely different from his mother...

Could she actually be his sister? Or his childhood sweetheart? Or even a friend of his parents?

Chapter 105 Upper Moon Meeting (Bonus Chapter)

And so, in response to Akaza's question, tinged with trepidation and a hint of nervousness, Mitsuha simply replied with a light, casual remark—

"What was our relationship before? We were just ordinary friends in the same town, what else could it be?"

You asked why I care about you so much? Well, it's because I felt sorry for Komaji being all alone, so I brought you along. After all, I already said we're friends...

You mean your memories? Oh, that's because I've temporarily deleted all your memories, it's that simple.

What else did you think it was? One of those chosen ones in stories who lose their memory, fall off a cliff, and then have a miraculous adventure?

I never knew Komaji had such a childlike heart, it's so cute..."

What do you mean by "ordinary friend"? What do you mean by "you only took me along because you felt sorry for me"? What do you mean by "you erased my memories"?!

What does it mean to have a childlike heart?! You stinky woman, you're not allowed to laugh at me!

Akaza, who had assumed she must have a troubled past and that her relationship with Mitsuha was extraordinary, almost broke down after hearing her seemingly indifferent and nonchalant words.

No! Since we have nothing to do with each other, why are you staring at me all day, you stinky woman? Don't you have anything better to do?!

Although Akaza clearly sensed that Mitsuha was lying, he was powerless to get her to talk.

Because he couldn't beat her.

"Komaji, didn't we talk about this before? When you're ready, I'll definitely return your memories to you..."

"So what exactly does it mean to be ready? Can't you be more specific, you wretched woman?!"

"It's until the day you truly want to live."

Seeing Akaza's frantic state, Mitsuha's expression suddenly became incredibly serious, and she said, word by word:

"I will tell you when you truly realize that you are alive and that you truly want to continue living."

As soon as he finished speaking, the tent fell silent. Akaza stared blankly at Mitsuha in front of him, a sharp pain suddenly piercing his mind.

Then came the sound of a man laughing loudly.

Young man! You should start anew as soon as possible!

Strange, it's that voice from an unknown source again...

Who is the owner of this voice?

Damn it, is this also one of his lost memories?

"Don't rush. As demons, we have plenty of time to find these things. Anyway, if you don't know what to do, go make a friend first..."

"Tch, boring. I don't want to be friends with weaklings I could kill with one punch..."

"I'm off. There's an underground fighting arena nearby run by some Europeans; I'm going there to practice boxing."

Shaking his head to shake off the strange feelings in his mind, Akaza picked up his umbrella, stood up, and walked straight out of the tent.

When you're in a bad mood, just find two people to beat up and you'll feel better.

This has always been his method for relieving stress, and it works very well.

"Be careful not to actually hurt anyone, okay?"

"understood."

"Also, that lord is holding an Upper Moon meeting tonight, remember to be on time, okay?"

"understood!"

Yes, after decades, the Upper String Conference will finally convene again tonight.

To be honest, Mitsuha really didn't want to attend this meeting.

The reason is simple: every Upper Moon meeting is held after an Upper Moon demon has been killed by a demon slayer.

This resulted in Mitsuha being able to hear Muzan cursing demons every time an Upper Moon meeting was held. Although he wasn't cursing her, it was still quite boring to just sit there and listen.

After a while, Mitsuha stopped wanting to go.

The same applies to this Upper String meeting.

Just last night, after an unknown period of time, the demon hunters slew another Upper Moon demon.

Although it's only Upper Moon Six, the lowest-ranking Upper Moon, it's easy to imagine that Lord Muzan will be furious again this time.

After all, the last of the Upper Moon demons is the sixth most powerful demon in the world besides the Demon King.

The sixth-ranked demon was actually killed by those ant-like demon hunters?!

This is completely unacceptable to Muzan.

In Muzan's view, no demon should be able to be killed by demon slayers during the entire Twelve Demon Moons!

Unfortunately, although Mitsuha really didn't want to go, for some reason, Muzan specifically requested that she attend tonight's Upper Moon meeting...

This was the first time Mitsuha had ever experienced such a situation.

I have a bad feeling about this...

"Good evening, A-Ming. It seems like it's been a long time since we last met, hasn't it?"

In the dead of night, with the sound of a pipa, Mitsuha fell through the door into the Infinite Castle.

Having returned to her original appearance, she first greeted Nakime, who was sitting on the high platform, with a smile.

"Yes, it's been a long time, Mitsuha-chan."

In response to Mitsuha's overly familiar attitude, Nakime also used the same affectionate nickname the two of them used.

"Where is my elder brother? Has he arrived already?"

"Lord Yan Sheng was the first to arrive and is currently in the room downstairs. Lord Upper Moon Two is also in the room next door..."

Mitsuha-nee-sama, I need to deliver you to Lord Mitsukatsu…

"Stop, that's unnecessary. I don't want to be looking at my brother's sour face while listening to Muzan-sama's scolding. I'd really die."

In the end, why did I even bother attending this boring meeting? I had a tarot reading scheduled for someone else tonight...

Ah Ming, remember to bring me last next time, okay?

Of all the twelve demon moons, perhaps only Mitsuha, who is also an Upper Moon One, dares to tease that person and the other Upper Moon One in this way.

Before Nakime could speak again, Mitsuha leaped a few steps and landed on the roof of a tall building in the distance. She concealed her aura, quietly sat on the railing, and waited for the meeting to officially begin.

Nakime ignored Mitsuha's capricious complaints and demands, and raised her hand to pluck the strings of her zither once more.

As another pipa melody sounded, yet another figure descended into the Infinite City.

He is the fourth seat of the Upper Moon Demons—Hantengu.

This was a ragged, ugly old man with a large tumor on his forehead, who looked timid and shrinking.

As the Upper Moon Four, Hantengu's Blood Demon Art is quite unique.

When he is about to be killed, he can split himself into up to four clones, each of which has a different blood demon technique and can fight together.

After killing these four clones one after another, they will merge again and combine into a super body with even greater strength, capable of using all the previous Blood Demon Techniques!

Even if this body is also killed, Hantengu will still not die.

Because this body is also just one of his clones.

His true form is actually a miniature body only the size of a palm.

During battles with demon slayers, Hantengu's true form sometimes hides inside the heart of his clone, and sometimes he quietly finds a place to hide on his own.

As long as his true body doesn't die, and as long as he still has the strength, he can recreate those clones no matter how many times they die...

A very troublesome, yet extremely life-saving, Blood Demon Technique.

"Oh no! Here I am again! You can't see me, you can't see me..."

As soon as he entered the Infinite City, Hantengu lay on the ground, cautiously crawling forward. His face was full of fear, as if he was afraid of being noticed by someone...